Do you believe in progress?

[Tingkai]

50 years ago, visibile minorities in North America were second class citizens, denied basic rights. While racism still exists, visible minorities have the same basic rights as whites. In terms of opportunities, visible minorities still lag behind whites, but are far ahead of what existed 50 years ago.

Also, status of women has increased and much of the discrimination against them has decreased.

In Asia, the economic well-being of the average person has increased - tremendously in places like Hong Kong, very little in places like the Philippines.

Europe is obviously a much better place to live than in 1946.

[Spiffor]

Remember people, this thread isn't about whether the world got less evil in the last 50 years.

It is about whether the current era (the world of these past 50 years and today) is less evil than at any other point in the millenia of human history.

[BeBMan]

Hm, if it's any other point, then we still can discuss if the current era is less evil than the one 50+ years before /smartass

[Arrian]

It's not a linear progression, but overall yes, I'd say things are better now than the past.

But really, how do you measure it? It's so subjective. Things that I consider important may be trivial to others and vice versa. I know that your notion of "evil" and mine are different, Ben.

-Arrian

p.s. For instance, in modern times there have been genocidal slaughters of millions of people. Ghengis Khan & his Mongol wrecking crew probably killed a lot less because there simply were less people around. Is one worse than the other? Meh.

[Saras]

Guys, Soviet Union, a prison-state, is no more, and China, another prison-state, is less of a prison state. GSFG is not on alert over the inner german boundary, Soviet boomers are not tailed by USN and RN hunter killers (but are instead rusting in Kola Peninsula ports ), and MAD is a (extremely) distant possibility.

And you talk about social progress.

[Saras]

dp

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by GePap


Agreed. "Evil" is irrelevant.

200 years ago a black man and a white woman getting married was "evil".

As for progress, there has certainly been significant progress in the last century, even in the last decades, at least, in those ways that can be measured. It has not been even everywhere, and in some areas there have been declines in fact, but overall humanity is better off today than 100 years ago, or 50.

So "evil" is a culturally relative word, but "progress" is not?

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Lancer


Do you think George is your average Joe? Maybe an average George.

Have you read Stephen Ambrose on the US in world war II? See the chapter on shirkers, profiteers, etc.

Im not 100% sure that there hasnt been SOME decline in the virtues you mention. But the recent past wasnt as good on them as is sometimes believe, and the present isnt completely deficient in them. So we are comparing, I think, at most a subtle decline in virtue, against a massive material improvement. I find it difficult to say thats not progress, even while I wish to reverse any decline in virtue.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Saras
Guys, Soviet Union, a prison-state, is no more, and China, another prison-state, is less of a prison state. GSFG is not on alert over the inner german boundary, Soviet boomers are not tailed by USN and RN hunter killers (but are instead rusting in Kola Peninsula ports ), and MAD is a (extremely) distant possibility.

And you talk about social progress.

I remember shelter drills, where a beep came over the school loudspeaker, and kids were expected to get under their desks (for protection againt glass from shattered windows?) till the drill was over. Even if you had the same on your side, youd be too young to remember.

Amnesia is a powerful supporter of nostalgia.

[Pekka]

Absolutely I think we are progressing and have done so all the time. In most fields, yes we are going forward. And IMO it's a great thing.

We need to keep going forward. Now that we have been indrustrializing ourselves, are technologically more advanced and the progress in that field has a timeline that is rising exponentially, we need to also take care of our own growth. Our personal growth, the technology, everything, should be to serve us. Not to make us serve the technology, or other virtual needs created in the last decades or centuries. We already serve our countries, now they need to start serving us!! That's right mother****ers, I'm tired of this ****!

[Saras]

Originally posted by lord of the mark



I remember shelter drills, where a beep came over the school loudspeaker, and kids were expected to get under their desks (for protection againt glass from shattered windows?) till the drill was over. Even if you had the same on your side, youd be too young to remember.

Oh yes I do remember. We even had educational posters in high school about what to do in case of nuclear attack, how to distinguish persistent agents from nonpersistent (that is, if you had the brains and self control to actually PUT ON the gas mask as they trained you to and were still alive/conscious...), and had the Soviets stuck around for longer, they'd have taught me to disassemble/clean/assemble an AK74

[Lancer]

Originally posted by Saras
Guys, Soviet Union, a prison-state, is no more, and China, another prison-state, is less of a prison state. GSFG is not on alert over the inner german boundary, Soviet boomers are not tailed by USN and RN hunter killers (but are instead rusting in Kola Peninsula ports ), and MAD is a (extremely) distant possibility.

And you talk about social progress.

[Sava]

Originally posted by MichaeltheGreat
the average Wang.

QFT



I am happy I was born with a superb wang

[BlackCat]

Originally posted by Jon Miller
I think that evil has reached maximum (and has been there for a long time) with God still providing a restraining hand.

This isn't something that I have thought a lot about.

peace,
Jon Miller

I have a totally different picture - the diminishing impact of god(s) has made this planet much more peacefull if you ignore those areas where god(s) still has a great influence.

[Zkribbler]

Originally posted by BlackCat
I have a totally different picture - the diminishing impact of god(s) has made this planet much more peacefull if you ignore those areas where god(s) still has a great influence.

This...is one of the most...interesting posts I have seen on this site.